Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev’s Relationship Timeline

From dance partners to life partners. Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev famously went from sharing the stage as teammates on season 25 of Dancing With the Stars to sharing a son, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev, and a last name as husband and wife. Their love connection didn’t happen right away, however. In fact, it took a full two years after they were eliminated on week seven of the show to stoke the fires of their love.

In that time, Bella ended her engagement to actor John Cena, leaving her open to a new romance—though she admittedly had her reservations about hooking up with her former costar. “I almost didn’t date him, because we did Dancing With the Stars together,” she told E! News in 2019. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to fall into that whole thing that everyone says people fall in love. So I legit didn’t talk to him for awhile.”

Still, she admittedly formed a bond with Chigvintsev early on, even if it wasn’t immediately romantic. “When I did dancing I think it was the first time I was ever vulnerable, even with a man, because I was such a strong, independent woman,” she said on an October 2020 episode of her "The Bellas Podcast." That’s where the bond started,” she said. Bella added, "You definitely get an emotional bond with [your partner] because it is so scary and you’re so out of your comfort zone, dancing live on TV, being judged for it, in front of the world to see. I’ve never been that nervous before ever.”

The Russian dancer won her over even further when they first locked lips. “Then, when we had our first kiss, it was like, “Oh, my goodness,” she told E! News. The rest, as they say, is history, with Bella and Chigvintsev going on to have son Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev in July 2020 and tying the knot in August 2022. Here, their full relationship timeline.

• Chigvintsev says he fell for Bella right away, but she was already engaged to John Cena.
• Bella ran away from her costar on their first date.
• The couple welcomed their first child, Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev, in July 2020.
• After delaying their wedding multiple times, the pair tied the knot on August 26, 2022.

September 18, 2017: A ‘Wow’ Moment

Bella and Chigvintsev’s first meeting was captured for the cameras of Dancing With the Stars. In the clip, which first aired on September 18, 2017, the former WWE star surprises her dance instructor with some of her pre-rehearsed moves, which involve her flipping upside down into a wrestling ring.

Her entrance left her future husband speechless, sans for a telling, “Oh, wow.” He later confessed on an episode of “The Bellas Podcast” that the moment had a lasting impact on him, calling it his “favorite memory.” “I didn’t really understand what it meant for me at the time, but it’s just kind of like when you meet the certain person that you don’t really understand how you feel yet, you have this overwhelming…a lot of feelings,” he said. “And you don’t know how to cope with it, and you don’t know what to do with it and you’re just trying to manage it as much as you can in the best way you can,” he concluded.

So enamored was he with his partner, that he said he confessed his feelings to the show’s headrunners. “I actually called the executive producer right after our first meet and I even said, ‘Wow, this girl’s incredible,’” he recounted. “Actually, I said that I think I’m in love.”

He continued: “I think that was the time where I was like, ‘Wow.’ It just kind of hit me. Even speaking about it right now, I’m sweating.”

Bella, who was engaged at the time, had quite a different experience. “There was none of those feelings at all,” she said in an episode of "The Bellas Podcast" in October 2020, “That’s the crazy thing being with [Artem] now." As she elaborated to E! News, “We had incredible chemistry, but I never once thought this one day would be my boyfriend. We had such an amazing friendship."

October 30, 2017: Final Bows

Bella and Chigvintsev were eliminated in week seven of the show just ahead of the quarterfinals, along with Vanessa Lachey and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, after dancing “The Jive” to Bette Midler’s “I Put a Spell on You.”

April 15, 2018: A Difficult Decision

One year after John Cena proposed to his longtime girlfriend on national TV, Bella announced their split via Twitter. “After much contemplation and 6 years of being together Nikki Bella and John Cena announced today their decision to separate as a couple,” she posted in a statement. “While this decision was a difficult one, we continue to have a great deal of love and respect for one another. We ask that you respect our privacy during this time in our lives.”

Years later, Bella opened up about her decision to call things off on "Better Together With Maria Menounos," explaining that in the end, it came down to her desire to have children and Cena's desire not to, in spite of his offer to reverse his vasectomy for her. "Even in the end when he was willing to give me kids, I could just tell it's not what we wanted," she said. "And that's really, like, you know, what pushed me in the end, was like, if I'm going to force someone to be a father. I'll never forget, I think it was my life coach, he goes, 'What if he looks at you down the road and just regrets everything, and then you have this child and you've built this life? Is that what you want?' And I remember thinking, 'That's not what I want. I don't want to force someone to change.'"

December 2018: First Date Disaster

Eight months later, Bella made her first steps toward moving on. Her first date with her former dance partner didn’t exactly go according to plan, however. As Bella explained to ET’s Keltie Knight in September 2019, their quiet day out at the Farmers Market got a whole lot more interesting once it was crashed by photographers. “Artem and I’s first date was at the Sherman Oaks Farmers Market,” she said. “I had no idea that it was filled with paparazzi, and, so Artem and I are like, looking at vegetables, and I honestly think he was like, picking up tomatoes, and I see, like, a paparazzi in this corner and one in this corner, and one in the other corner, and I’m like, I just freaked, and I walked away from him. I walked all the way to my car and I drove off.”

Even after her date sent a text asking where she had gone, Bella was coy. “I didn’t even say anything!” she confessed. “I’m seeing, like, a shadow cross the road, and I’m like, ‘Did I do something wrong?” Chigvintsev recalled with a laugh.

December 2018: Sealing the Deal

For Bella, sparks didn’t fully fly with Chigvintsev until the two finally locked lips. “When we went on our first date, it still kind of was in that friend zone, so I was like, ‘How do we even kiss?” she recalled to E! News.

Luckily, she had nothing to worry about. “I remember thinking, like, ‘If he kisses me, how does this work? Because I’ve never kissed a friend, I guess you could say.” But then when we had our first kiss, it was like, “Oh, my goodness.”

January 2019: Testing the Waters

People reported in January 2019 that Bella and Chigvintsev were seeing each other. “They’ve been spending time together for a long time, but it’s nothing serious right now,” a source told the magazine of the pair. “They have a strong attraction to each other, but they’re just having fun. They’re both extremely busy with their own careers, so they spend time together when they can.”

February 9, 2019: Dropping Hints

Chigvintsev hinted that he would have more than a passing role on Bella’s show, Total Bellas, in February 2019 with a clip he posted to his Instagram page of the two reconnecting. “I’m so happy to really reconnect with Artem,” Bella says in the clip before her date toasts to their “reunion.” “Two steppin’ my way right onto another TV show,” he wrote of the clip with a wink.

March 22, 2019: Insta Debut

After helping the Total Bellas star to live Tweet the show in early March, Chigvintsev earned himself a spot on Bella’s grid, standing next to his love in a group shot to support Alice + Olivia.

March 24, 2019: Bella Spills on Her Relationship

Two days later, Bella spilled the beans on her relationship in the season 4 finale of her show, Total Bellas. "I’m ready to really explore new things and people and just really see what certain chemistries are all about,” she said in the clip, which showed her climbing onto the back of Chigvintsev's motorcycle before driving off with him.

She got even more detailed in the inaugural episode of her podcast, “The Bellas Podcast,” with sister Brie Bella. “Yes, we are dating. Yes, I spend the night at his house," she said. "Yes, we have date lunches at Joan's on Third and we like to get food for his house—or should I say, produce from the farmer's markets. So, let's consider this rumor killed.”

The Diva’s Champion also made it clear she wasn’t planning on walking down the aisle with her new love anytime soon. “Artem and I are dating. We are not engaged, we are not married, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend, we don't say 'I love you,'" she said. She did clarify that her new beau was talented in the kissing department, adding, "Yeah, we make out.” Still, she said, she was keeping her options open, adding, “I’m still dating [other people].”

April 13, 2019: A ‘DWTS’ Reunion

Bella shared photos of herself and date Chigvintsev en route to the wedding of their former Dancing With the Stars costars, Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, in April 2019.

June 12, 2019: “A Special One”

Bella had a super sweet message for Chigvintsev on his first birthday as her boyfriend. “Happy Birthday to a man who not only makes my face smile, but my heart,” she captioned an adorable slideshow of the two of them cuddled up in a garden. “You’re a special one Mr. Chigvintsev!” she continued. “Your relaxing, calm, patient, kind, happy energy and aura is contagious! You truly are the kindest soul I have ever met.”

She concluded her message by thanking the dance pro for “bringing a lot of sunshine” into her life, adding, “Happy Birthday my Artem! @theartemc."

June 22 2019: Out and About

Photographers captured the fledgling couple looking snuggly while out and about in L.A. at Joan’s on Third in June 2019.

July 11, 2019: The Turning Point

Things took a turn for the serious in July 2019, when the pair made their red carpet debut at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports 2019 Awards. They also exchanged sweet compliments about each other, with Bella calling her love interest “sweet and adorable” to People and Chigvintsev telling the outlet that the reality star was his “exact opposite”: “What I’m missing in my life, she fulfills,” he raved.

Together, they hinted that their relationship had become far more deeply involved, with Bella confessing that “Artem and I actually talk about the world official and where our relationship stands” on her next podcast. “It’s getting serious,” Chigvintsev admitted.

July 3, 2019: Babies on the Brain

While discussing her boyfriend’s relationship with her niece, Birdie, on a July 3 episode of “The Bellas Podcast,” Bella made a prediction about Chigvintsev’s own parenting skills. “He's going to make an amazing father," she fawned.

July 17, 2019: Locking It Down

After seven months of beating around the bush, the twosome finally copped to an official relationship on the July 17, 2019, episode of “The Bellas Podcast” aptly titled, “Official.” "We're boyfriend and girlfriend," the eldest Bella twin said, with Chigvintsev echoing, “We’re in a relationship.”

DWTS fans were also in for a steamy treat, as the pair simultaneously released a dance video set to the tune of Rita Ora’s “Let You Love Me” that ended in a passionate kiss between the two. “This song really hit me hard because I just felt like, OK, I'm falling for this guy really fast, but ... I just kept trying to push Artem away because I just wasn't ready for anything," Bella said while explaining the song’s significance.

August 16, 2019: All the Feels

Chigvintsev gushed over his girlfriend in mid-August, even going so far as to call the athlete his “soul mate.” You are my rock, my number one, the good ending to a bad day and the best start to a new day,” he wrote via Instagram.

September 27, 2019: A Good Match

Likewise, Bella explained why Chigvintsev was a good match for her in an interview with ET in September 2019. “I feel like Artem, he balances me in all the right ways, and I just get so busy, and I’m such—I just get into hustler mode so much, and Artem just literally, this is such a weird analogy, but he does make me stop and smell the roses,” she shared. “He makes me enjoy life in such a simple way and I love it.”

She also got a little cheeky, dishing on her man’s “moves,” joking, “They’re moves I’ve never seen before. Once you [get] moves like this, I don’t know where you go from there.”

November 2019: A Proposal

Though the pair kept the news secret for two months, Chigvintsev proposed to his girlfriend of nearly a year in November 2019 in a rose-filled room with a string quartet at a chateau in France.

Their big moment was documented for fans on Total Bellas. "I feel like, when we met, it was definitely fate," he told her as the pair shared a sweet embrace. "The thing is, when I fell in love with you, it was completely out of my control. And there is a saying that love is a single soul inhabiting two bodies. You turned my world upside down in the most incredible way, and I love you so, so much...I don't think there are words can describe how you make me feel, and how much I love you, Nicole," he gushed.

Unbeknownst to Bella, Chigvintsev also arranged for her nearest and dearest to be in on the surprise, and they could be seen getting into place as he finished his speech. "I'm gonna spend every sunrise and every sunset with you." He then backed away from her to pull out a ring box and get down on one knee. "What I'm trying to say is, will you marry me?"

"Artem!" Bella exclaims before saying "yes" as her friends and family rushed in cheering. "I feel like the world has stopped," she later said in a confessional.

January 3, 2020: Going to the Chapel

Bella shared the news that she would soon be walking down the aisle on January 3, 2022, with an announcement on Instagram. "Excited for 2020 and the next decade with you @theartemc ❤️,” she captioned a photo of herself holding a rose in one hand and sharing a passionate kiss with her future husband. “I said yes in France in November! We have been trying to keep it a secret but really wanted to share our excitement for the New Year!”

She also showed off her newest piece of jewelry—a Harry Winston rectangular diamond stone on a silver band, which she gave fans a closer look at later that month via YouTube.

Chigvintsev shared a matching announcement post to his page, which read, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. So excited for what’s to come I love you more than anything and thank you for saying Yes.”

Later that week, Bella opened up about the life-changing moment on "The Bellas Podcast," telling fans, "Artem's just taught me that love has no rules—it really doesn't. And it's so beautiful when it's like that—when you can just love." 

January 29, 2020: A Pregnancy Announcment

Bella announced to People that she and Chigvintsev were expecting their first child at the same time that her twin sister Brie was expecting her second with husband Daniel Bryan. “[It was] a total surprise,” she told the magazine. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.”

According to Bella, she discovered she was with child after an intuitive feeling encouraged her to take a pregnancy test. “I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” she remembered. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from [Brie]? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’"

After confirming what she already knew, Bella told ET that she surprised her husband-to-be with the happy news. "Artem was in the dressing room undoing his suitcase...and I put the test on his bag." Apparently, the dancer was in such shock, he asked if the test was hers.

Bella also shared her excitement at the prospect of finally becoming a mother with People. "Even though I feel really sick, like, can’t believe I’m going to be a mom soon,” she said. “I’m going to have this person to take care of for the rest of their life and help them do the right things and just show them the way of the world. That’s amazing! It's something I've dreamed of my whole life." Several days after the article dropped, Bella shared an Instagram photo with her fiancé, captioning it, "Baby daddy."

May 27, 2020: An Ultimatum

On a May 27, 2020 episode of her “The Bellas Podcast,” the Total Divas star revealed that she gave Chigvintsev an “out” early on in their union. “There were certain things I was struggling with because I was still in the process of healing [from my breakup], but yet I was falling in love so fast with this man,” she said. “I had that conversation with Artem. I told him, ‘Look, I have good days and I have bad days and I am trying to heal, but I don’t want to lose you.”

Ultimately, Bella said she told the DWTS veteran that if he wanted to stay, he’d need to fully commit, telling him, “If you want to put up with what I’m going through and stay by my side, do it. But if you want to walk away and we come back to this relationship down the road, I 100 percent understand.”

May 20, 2020: Reproductive Decision

With filming for her show taking place ahead of the duo's January pregnancy announcement, fans saw Bella made a big decision about her reproductive health with Chigvintsev in a May episode of Total Bellas, in which she divulged that she planned to freeze her eggs on her own. “I’m not going to do embryos, so I’m not going to do my eggs and your sperm combined and freeze ‘em,” she shared. “Just freezing my eggs, my own thing.”

While she said it was “obviously better to freeze embryos,” Bella told her partner that she felt they might be moving too fast. “That’s just, like, pretty much forever having a kid out there,” she reasoned. “Don’t you think that’s fast?” The conversation caused tension for the pair, with Chigvintsev struggling to understand why she wouldn’t want to create a child together using their shared embryos.

May 27, 2020: Pushing Pause

Bella revealed during Demi Burnett's "Big Demi Energy" podcast in May that she and Chigvintsev were pushing pause on their wedding planning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “I want to make sure the world is in such a clear space,” the Total Divas alum explained. “The day I get married, I just want a massive party. I want a bash. I want everything I’ve dreamed of.”

She also hinted that her engagement would be on the longer side, saying, “I honestly think our wedding will probably be far, far out,” she said. “Maybe not, maybe within a year? But, like, I don’t even know. I have a feeling it might be longer.”

June 21, 2020: True Blue

The happy parents-to-be revealed the sex of their baby in a June 11 episode of their show, Total Bellas. Bella’s twin, Brie, was right in guessing that her sister was having a boy, as the sky was filled with blue confetti when the future mom and dad finally did the big reveal.

July 31, 2020: A Family Grows

The couple welcomed Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev on July 31, 2020. Bella shared the first snap of their little one on Instagram several days later, which showed a picture of the family’s hands all intertwined. “Our baby boy is here and we couldn’t be HAPPIER and more in LOVE!” she wrote, adding, “Everyone is safe and healthy.”

Chigvintsev explained the baby's middle name in a February 2020 interview with ET, saying that Russian middle names are determined by the father's first name.

August 25, 2020: Giving Thanks

The DWTS champion, who returned to the show for season 29 with a new partner of Kaitlyn Bristowe, expressed his gratitude for his bride-to-be in an interview with ET in August 2020. "Nikki's been such a rock through all of this," he said. "I have to give a huge thank you to her for even allowing me to do Dancing With the Stars. I know she's very happy for me,” he shared.

Chigvintsev shared that the WWE superstar noticed a change in him following his return to the show after a shocking season 28 exit. “She's like, 'Oh my God, you look like you have your mojo back,' and I'm like, 'You know what? I think I do so.' She's super supportive. I'm just so blessed to have her in my life."

September 30, 2020: Getting Real

Bella kept it real while speaking about post-partum depression she faced following the birth of her son, Matteo, and how it affected her relationship with her partner on a September 30, 2020 episode of “The Bellas Podcast,” noting that she often felt rejected by his immediate concern for the baby.

"Artem would come home [from Dancing With the Stars], he'd be distracted…but he'd come and be like, 'How's the baby? How's Matteo? I miss him. Let me hold him. Let me kiss him,'" she said on the episode. “As the woman, as the mom, you stand there and you're like, 'What about me?' I want someone to come home and ask me how I'm doing, and kiss me all over and swaddle me up and rock me and tell me how much you missed me,” she explained, adding, “It started to really get to me."

Bella added that while she wanted to be supportive of her partner, she didn’t always feel great watching him on the small screen with his gorgeous partner, The Bachelorette’s Kaitlyn Bristowe. "I just started to really feel invisible,” she shared. “It was like, he's so happy and smiley and Kaitlyn's so beautiful and they dance so amazing together.”

Eventually, the differences in their day-to-day lives began to wear on the new mom. “I would just look in the mirror... and I just would see my appearance and I'd be like, 'Oh my gosh, I look disgusting. I don't feel good. I'm so tired. I want to be up there and I want to look like that and I want to dance like that and I want that smile.'"

Bella said that Chigvintsev was supportive when she finally opened up to him about her feelings, which was a good thing, as they had started to shift. "I’m not gonna lie, I did have moments of being mean. But I did have moments when I looked at him and I hated him... It’s true. There were times I’d look at him and I'm like, 'I think I hate you.'”

November 21, 2020: Back to Good

By November, the couple seemed to have resolved their issues, with Chigvintsev surprising Bella with an ultra-sweet message for her birthday on her podcast, "The Bellas Podcast." "This message is for the love of my life," the Russian dancer could be heard saying. He continued, "Nicole, I love you so, so much. You have no idea. You make me a better person, a better man. And this is your first birthday as a mom, and I just want to say you exceeded every single expectation out there...people have no idea how much effort you put into Matteo and into our relationship. And Matteo and I could not be happier."

Chigvintsev doubled down on his sentiments with a sweet message for his future wife on Instagram, writing, "To my beautiful and definitely better other half you are my rock , you have been absolutely incredible as a mom to Matteo and I am so lucky to have you. I want to wish you lots of success, love, and happiness, and everything you wish for your self. I love you and miss you and can’t wait to see you to celebrate."

December 2020: Move to Napa

By December, Bella and Chigvintsev had seemingly worked things out, making the move to Napa Valley, California, together as a family. “We're just on cloud nine,” the wrestler told E! News that month.

Bella also gave an update on the pair’s impending nuptials, saying, "The end of November [2021] would be my goal. Wouldn't that be beautiful? And I've always wanted a wedding like that, like that time of year and that look."

December 3, 2020: Tough Decisions

Bella and Chigvintsev had an honest conversation on Total Bellas about what would happen to their son should they go their separate ways when the question was posed by Bella’s mom, Kathy Laurinaitis.

"I mean, Matteo would come with me because I'm the mother," Bella responded, to which her fiancé replied, “Well, first because you travel so much, I feel like I do have more chances of having Matteo.” He continued, "You're always busy, always on the phone. I feel like, actually, I'll probably be more suitable."

Still, he ultimately agreed that he “would want what’s best for the kid. Period.” Bella agreed in a later scene, saying, “I think you and I both want the best life for Matteo. No matter what. He’s the focus."

May 14, 2021: A Special Day

For her very first Mother’s Day, Bella told E! News that the Emmy nominee went all out. “Artem just made it so special in so many ways," she told the outlet. "It felt like it was my birthday, he had all these plans.” She also revealed that she received a Louis Vuitton backpack, a flower bouquet and a hand-written card signed from both Chigvintsev and Matteo. “ I think that meant more to me than anything because that's one thing I always wish [Artem] would do,” she said.

While she said she knows her subsequent Mother’s Days won’t be quite so extravagant, she appreciated the extra effort for the first go-round. “That was my first and he just made it extra special,” she gushed. “And the love, not just the material things but the love, too."

June 12, 2021: Showered With Love

To return the favor, for Chigvintsev’s 39th trip around the sun, Bella posted an epic tribute to him on social media. “You are truly the world’s greatest Dada!” she captioned a series of photos of her son and his father. “You are the kindest soul I have ever met, everyone feels it and says it when they come in contact with you. Your drive, passion, and love when it comes to dancing and cooking is motivating."

On a more personal note, Bella shared some of the reasons she appreciated her groom-to-be, saying, “I just love how your eyes light up when we talk about construction, remodeling, fishing, choreography, or motorcycles lol. And I love how you love our Matteo. It melts me. ❤️ As well as when you come up behind me in the kitchen to twirl me or dip me.” She added, “I’m lucky you call me yours.”

June 21, 2020: Great Expectations

Bella also shared an extra-sweet message for her baby daddy’s first Father’s Day as a parent. “I can’t wait to have many, many more Father’s Days with you and our baby boy! 💙” she gushed via Instagram. “I can’t wait to see you as a father. Our little one is so lucky to have such a patient, kind, caring, loving, positive man like you as his Dad."

Continuing on to list all the things she was excited to watch the father-and-son duo do (“I can’t wait to watch you both fish from a far, dance, have him wrestle and pin you (he’ll learn that from Mommy lol 🤗) speak Russian, build things, cook together, and just be father and son),” she wrote, the edler Bella twin closed her post by writing, “I know my heart will never feel more full and warm than watching that as I grow old.”

January 2021: Getting Help

Bella revealed to Kaitlyn Bristowe on the DWTS alum's "Off the Vine" podcast that she and her man had been seeking professional counseling for their relationship. According to the new mom, much of it stemmed from Chigvintsev coping mechanisms. "[When he] gets really stressed, he doesn't realize his tone," she told the podcast host, adding, "We're actually in therapy for this."

Bella also commiserated with Bristowe about Chigvintsev's strict dance teaching methods, saying that at one point she threatened to quit the show to her then-fiancé John Cena over Chigvintsev's demeanor. "I am quitting. I am not going to stand for this. He is a d---!" she remembered saying.

June 4, 2021: Pumping the Brakes

Bella revealed in an interview to ET in June 2021 that the couple’s plans to wed near Thanksgiving had been put on hold in lieu of sprucing up their love nest. “As of now, we have no plans, no day,” she said. "We're so busy every day, and we completely remodeled the inside of [our] home. We haven't even lived in it yet and we're doing the outside and that takes so much work.” She added: “We're still not even done designing. And so he and I both were just like, 'Let's get through the house. If it happens, it happens.'"

The athlete admitted that if the couple were to tie the knot prematurely, it wouldn’t be the ceremony she dreamed of. “I feel like if I was to do it right now, and try to get the fall that I want right now, it would just be cramming," she explained. "It wouldn't be fun, it would be just to get it done.”

November 10, 2021: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Bella revealed in a November 10, 2021 episode of “The Bellas Podcast” that she and her fiancé had been spending some time apart. “This is the longest we haven't seen each other," she shared. "We went six or seven weeks [apart] because I got [a judging gig on] AGT: Extreme.”

While she called the distance “hard,” she said that the space ultimately turned out to be a good thing "It's been really hard on us, but we've had some sexy FaceTimes,” she divulged. “And we're actually in a good spot. We were doing a little rocky for a bit.” As for their status at the time of the taping, Bella said the couple was "stronger than ever.”

November 25, 2021: Looking Ahead

Bella discussed her delayed wedding plans once more in an interview with ET in November 2021. “I really do want to get married,” she assured fans. “I mean, selfishly, I just want to have that, like, one big day about me, I can't wait for that and to wear that dress, but I do want to marry Artem."

She cited travel restrictions as a big reason for the postponement. "The one promise I made him before we can plan, is that his parents can attend, and with where the world's at right now and trying to get two Russian parents into the country, it's almost impossible," she explained. "So, the day I can get two visas, is the day we will set our date and say, 'I do.'”

She also shared her feelings on having a sibling for Matteo, telling the publication that there was still a possibility before her 40th birthday in 2023. “This is what I told Artem: 'At 39, if I'm happy where I'm at in life, and with you and you're still in my life, I possibly will get pregnant, and let's try to have that baby before 40, but hey, if not, I'm sorry, she is closed,'" she shared.

April 9, 2022: It's All Happening

The lovebirds confirmed that their wedding was officially a go in April 9, 2022, and that they had even set a date. “I’ll give a hint that it’s fall 2022, very soon," Bella told Us Weekly. She also shared that twin sister Brie Bella would be her maid of honor.

She got even more detailed while speaking to ET later that month, saying, "We are both in the entertainment business. We are going to have some fun surprises at our wedding."

August 26, 2022: Tying the Knot

Bella revealed in an Instagram post on August 29, 2022, that after much ado, she and her longtime fiancé had tied the knot. “We said I DO,” she captioned a shot of her hand in Chigvintsev’s, which was adorned with a wedding band.

While few details were revealed about the nuptials, which Bella revealed were filmed for an upcoming four-part E! special titled Nikki Bella Says I Do, the famous twin did give fans a look at the back of her wedding dress in a second shot, which showed her overlooking the Seine River with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The gown featured a straight column design and an off-the-shoulder neckline. “Can’t wait to share the entire journey with you all,” she wrote.

Bella also shared an Instagram Story from the event, one of which showed the pair’s hands, along with a few sweet words, “We both can't stop smiling I never want this feeling to end. I will love you forever and ever Mr. Chigvintsev," she wrote.

September 7, 2022: Mrs. Chigvintsev

Bella posted a photo of herself to her Instagram Stories in early September that showed off a new white accessory: a purse emblazoned with the words “Mrs. Chigvintsev.”